February Blog Parties || My Top Ten Period Drama Couples
HERE I AM, FINALLY.
You would not believe how long it has taken me to finalize this list. *collapses* And even now, I'm none too sure of these choices, or their rankings. Still! We are here now, and we must proceed.
This post is brought to you by Cordy's Lovely Blog Party and Heidi's Valentine's Day Period Drama Party. And it may surprise you. *wiggles eyebrows*
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#10.
Mary & Frank
Doctor Thorne
These two are just very wholesome, with an adorable history as childhood friends. They also have to work through many obstacles in order to be together as adults. They are very pure, sweet, earnest beans, and they earn their happily-ever-after. 💛
#9.
Danielle & Henry
Ever After
I love my fiercely good political powerhouse and my lovesick himbo. They listen to each other. They forgive each other their moral ignorance and their personal deceit. They make each other better.
#8.
Mary & Joseph
The Nativity Story
I feel a little weird including a biblical movie in a period drama list, much less one about favorite couples, but we're going to roll with it and not think too much about it.
Even though it can get dicey to fictionalize anything to do with the Holy Family, I truly do love this onscreen portrayal — especially because it's so understated. The narrative sticks to the basic events of the story and doesn't try to spin an old-Hollywood romance out of Mary and Joseph's relationship, but that doesn't stop it from investing in said relationship.
And I love what the makers did with it.
Because y'all. The GENTLENESS. And the RESPECT. And the TRUST.
#7.
Molly & Roger
Wives and Daughters
Now, would I love this romance more if Roger wasn't quite so ditzy for quite so long? And if his wake-up call didn't consist of seeing Molly in a pretty dress?
Yes. 😂
But here's the thing: These two are genuinely best for each other. They will actually be happier and healthier together than they will with anybody else, I think. And that's kind of a deal-breaker.
Plus, I love both individual characters — and their friends-to-lovers dynamic with each other — so much that I sort of had to include them on this list.
#6.
Jane & Rochester
Jane Eyre
#5.
Anne & Wentworth
Persuasion
I like the movies better than the book.
There, I said it.
I know people have tended to be dissatisfied with the film adaptations, but I, personally, like them both (a few awkward and cringey moments notwithstanding). And the 1995 version is my favorite. I rewatched it recently, and yep. I'm a fan.
Anyway.
Anne and Wentworth are on here almost as much for what their love story represents as for their love story itself. The relationship spans a second-chances, nearly decade-long arc for which I am a complete and total Sucker, so there you are.
#4.
Dido & John
Belle
I think the "I love her" scene single-handedly broke the entire period drama community. We are deceased. We are undone. We are a shell.
(Although, maybe not the entire period drama community because APPARENTLY A LOT OF Y'ALL STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THIS MOVIE *ahem*)
Anyway. This couple is a power couple. They are the stuff of which legends are made, my dears.
#3.
Gabriel & Bathsheba
Far from the Madding Crowd
"You'd grow to despise me."
"I would not. Ever."
PARDON ME WHILST I GO SCREAM INTO THE VOID ABOUT GABRIEL OAK FOR APPROXIMATELY 10,000,000 YEARS.
(So, yes, I love Gabriel. I love his quietness, his dignity, and his commitment. But I also love Bathsheba. I love her strength, her competence, and her complexity. I love her character growth. And I love LOVE the two of them together.)
#2.
Robin & Marian
Robin Hood (BBC)
Has my fervor for this show calmed? Yes.
Will I still love these two characters — and the relationship between them — until the end of my days? Also yes.
#1.
Matoaka & Rolfe
The New World
(I'm using 'Matoaka' since that was her given name — or at least one of them — and 'Pocahontas' was a nickname.)
It was difficult to determine which of all of these couples I loved most. Others have been favorites for longer, and since I only found these two two years ago, it felt a little strange to give them the top space.
But I think — at this precise moment in time — these two are my favorite period drama couple. The romance in their relationship is inextricably intertwined with redemption, hope, and healing after trauma. The way it's brought to life onscreen in this film is actually stunningly profound, as I hope to illustrate in a review one of these days.
I have a lot to say about it, and in that sense I have almost nothing to say about it. It's such a deep-running thing that it's difficult for me to articulate coherently. But I do want to try, someday.
For now, suffice it to say that these two are beautiful and I love them.
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Who are some of your favorite period couples?
I loved this!!!! <333
ReplyDeleteI HAVE seen Belle. ;) Just the once and I loved it, but it's been hard to find of late. *frustrated sigh toward the world at large*
And I really really REEEEALLY wanna see Far From The Madding Crowd soon. Believe it or not, it was the first classic British thing I ever read (even before P&P😂) and the newest version looks sooo sweet. I just gotta set aside a proper afternoon for it
Thank you!! <33
DeleteAh, hurray. You've all been restoring my faith in the period drama community, by how many of you have seen Belle. ;D
Oh, that's so cool! I definitely didn't know that FFTMC was the first British classic you ever read, but that's so fun! And I think you'll really like the new version. It's gorgeous and rich and throbbing and thematic and all those other fun adjectives. ;D
(Also, this is a bit of a rabbit trail, but since we're speaking of movies-that-I-think-Heidi-would-like: Did you ever watch the Western Quigley Down Under (with Tom Selleck and Alan Rickman)? I discovered it a few years ago and loved it, but I just rewatched it for the first time in several months and was impressed once again by how excellent it is. And it really made me think of you, this time around. ;) So . . . you know. Just putting that out there. ;) <3)
I loved reading your answers!
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, the only couple on this list which I'm truly familiar with is Anne & Wentworth. The rest are all from stories I've "heard of," but never really read/watched.
Maybe someday you can show me Belle, and we can watch it together. ;) It does sound delightful! I'm just not really much of a movie-watcher these days, unless I'm watching a film with a friend.
Now, my own favorite period romances!!
- Marianne and Brandon (OF COURSE ;))
- Anne and Wentworth
- Liesel and Rudy (I think they count, since the 1940s is still period-ish)
- Rye and Liza in To Tame a Land
- that's all I can think of at the moment ... hmmmm ...
Thank you, thank you!
DeleteAh, stories I know but have never actually consumed with mine own eyes . . . I feel you. xD
Ooh, yes! I think you'd enjoy Belle. And that makes perfect sense! Several of my siblings are more TV show people than movie people.
YES OF COURSE. ;) <3 I knew Brandon & Marianne would be on your list! Such goodness. <3 And such goodness on the rest of your list, too.
Marianne and Brandon!!!
DeleteI've seen most of these and you are making me want to see 'em all.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite is probably Molly and Roger? I also love Dido and John (yes I've seen it!) and Margaret and Thornton from North and South. And I recently saw both the 2020 and 2009 Emmas and enjoyed the Emma/Knightley dynamic very much, though I'm still a bit put off by the age gap...
That is my aim, always. ;D
DeleteYes! Molly and Roger are so adorable. Ooh, great choices! Yep, age gaps in period dramas are certainly A Conversation.
Molly and Roger - definitely, although, I still think he settled for Molly and not really chose her, plus she deserves better than a second-hand kind of romance but I get what you're saying - these two are almost a perfect pair.
ReplyDeleteI actually now don't care much for Jane and Rochester - I find that relationship not as good as I used to think.
Anne and Wentworth - absolutely, although when you think about, if these two had communicated to each, maybe they would have stayed together in the beginning but then we won't get to see how second chance had make their relationship better.
Great list.
Have a lovely day.
I definitely get what you mean, with Molly and Roger! Molly definitely deserved to be a first choice, and that makes me sad for her. I don't think Roger settled for Molly -- I think that, once he woke up and stopped being an idiot, he realized that Molly was really everything he was looking for in a partner. So in that sense I don't think he settled for her, but it DOES bother me that he chose Cynthia over her in the beginning, even if he did so out of blindness/naivete.
DeleteAnd I definitely understand your feelings about Jane and Rochester! They're a polarizing couple, for sure.
Yes! Anne and Wentworth have major communication issues.
Thank you! And I hope you have a lovely day, as well!
YES for Mary and Joseph. I think the filmmakers did a phenomenal job portraying that relationship! It gives me feels every time I watch that movie; so good.
ReplyDeleteEmma & Knightley is my absolute, all-time favorite period drama couple (also, only the 2009 adaptation for me!). Close behind them comes Marianne and Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility, Margaret and Mr. Thornton from North and South, Elinor and Edward from Sense and Sensibility, and Barney and Valancey from The Blue Castle (by L.M. Montgomery).
Such a fun post! I had Doctor Thorne recommended to me just yesterday. Is it good as a story overall?
Oh, I forgot Barney and Valancy!! Do you know of any film adaptation of The Blue Castle? I adore that book.
DeleteI enjoyed Doctor Thorne but it's a bit, idk, more fluffy than other period dramas I've seen? And there's some violence at the beginning that was uncomfortable. The love story is so cute, though.
Right?! Mary and Joseph are so amazing in that movie.
DeleteEmma & Knightley are a classic! And all your other choices are fabulous, too. ;)
Thank you! Ah, Doctor Thorne. So, I'd agree with what Maya says: DT is a fun, enjoyable period drama, but it is fluffier than a lot of period dramas. I think a lot of that is due to the costuming and camera angles? Like, there are a lot of over-the-top floral headpieces in almost every scene, and it's A Bit Much. xD I have other little quibbles with it, too, but I will say that it's grown on me every time I've watched it, and I now like it quite fondly. :D
Ooh, great choices (even though I don't know many of them).
ReplyDeleteThanks, McKayla!
DeleteI've read Dr. Thorne, I've not seen it, quite frankly it doesn't look like it was cast according to the book characters. Kinda makes me afraid to watch it. I've not seen several of these actually, I have seen Belle. That has one of my favorite bits, I love the scene, where John was forced to admit his love for her before he could say it in private to her (if my memory serves me correct) because her guardian is questioning his motives, and what could be an awkward scene in that carriage is just so sweet when he is shouting his love for her with tears in his eyes. I guess its when undemonstrative still waters run deep type of characters/couples (I think they both fit) show how strong their emotions are. That is another trope I like, Amy and Arthur are like that (although he needs to be slugged at certain points).
ReplyDeleteI don't really quite know how to pick favorites. There is often one of a couple I feel like needs to be smacked (Roger for instance) or that I just can't like and respect (Anne Elliot for instance), but I ship them or want them together. I'd also have to remember all the period dramas I ever watched. I do think James and Edith from The Inheritance would be favorites, they are both likable and respectable.
After I got your comment, I actually read elsewhere that Dr. Thorne isn't cast very faithfully to the book! I wouldn't know, since I haven't read the book, but it sounds like others have that concern as well.
DeleteYes! The carriage scene when John confesses his love is a standout. I agree, the scene could have been awkward but it's so well-acted that it works beautifully. And I love the characters of Amy and Arthur so much.
Ha, I certainly understand your feelings about one half of some of these couples, where one of them needs a good shaking but you still want them together. xD
Aw, Robin and Marian! (I always had a soft spot for Much and Eve, too.) I love Danielle and Henry although she's too good for him. But they're so lovely together.
ReplyDeleteYes!!! (I know, I was always so upset that we never returned to the Much and Eve plotline!) Ha, I get where you're coming from with Danielle and Henry, for sure. xD
DeleteDanielle and Henry are just darling. In fact, I loved them so much that I was extremely angry when Dougray Scott had to bow out of the first X-Men movie and was replaced by some random Australian dude named Hugh Jackman. I refused to go see the movie in the theater, I was so upset. Oops.
ReplyDeleteYou're making me just want to go rewatch Jane Eyre 2011 right now even though I just watched it a couple months ago. Ohhhh, the Fassbenderyness of it all.
We can still be friends even though you like the Persuasion movies better than the book. I really love the 1995 in particular, myself.
I haven't seen that version of Madding Crowd yet, but I watched an older one and it was very wrenching and I am not sure if I'm strong enough to watch another one or read the book.
The nerve, elbowing Dougray Scott out of the way. What kind of Aussie upstart?!
DeleteRight?! I love the 2011 JE so much.
Well, that's a relief. ;D Yes! The 1995 is so good.
Oh, dear! They must have taken Madding Crowd in a very interesting direction, then. Having read the book and watched this adaptation, I don't know that I could call it wrenching in any sense? I mean, there's drama and pain and all, but not much more than your average period piece. Now, Hardy's other book, Tess of D'Ubervilles . . . that one I HAVE heard is a major punch to the gut.
Well, I spent basically all of Madding Crowd feeling extremely bad for Gabriel Oak and yelling at everyone else in my head, and there just... weren't enough characters for me to truly LIKE to balance it out?
DeleteAhhhh, fair point, fair point. That makes sense.
DeleteVery interesting, indeed! :D The only ones I don't know are Mary & Frank, Bathsheba & Gabriel and Matoaka & Rolfe. (Although I reeeally want to watch A New World! My siblings watched it without me once and I never quite forgave them for that. :P) I definitely like all the couples that I know, but especially agree about Danielle & Henry, and Totally Get what you're saying about Mary & Joseph because yes! It's so beautifully portrayed on screen and the gentleness and respect and trust is so precious. <3
ReplyDeleteHaha! How dare your siblings?! ;D (I think you'd like all three of those couples!)
DeleteYes! Those two couples are precious.
Lovely list! Ah, Robin and Marian are my top OTP!! I love them dearly! <3 Now I'm curious about this couple that bumped them out of the top spot...I must try it!
ReplyDeleteYes!! I just rewatched the first two episodes of BBC Robin Hood and I was already getting A Bit Emotional thinking about all the Stuff. xD <3333
DeleteOoh, yes! The New World is definitely a very hit or miss movie for people, but I'd be interested to get your thoughts!
Oooh my goodness where to start, where to start indeed?
ReplyDelete*suddenly remembers cup of tea that I had forgotten about and leaps up* tea awaits! I shall return!